


Eroda

by rubymidas



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Confident Louis, Eroda, Harry Styles Loves Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are Saps, Innocent Harry, Insecure Harry, Loss of Virginity, Louis Tomlinson Loves Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson is Protective of Harry Styles, M/M, Mystery, Protective Louis Tomlinson, Shy Harry, Teleportation, Virgin Harry, Younger Louis Tomlinson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubymidas/pseuds/rubymidas
Summary: "And who knows, maybe someday you'll find yourself in The Isle of Eroda."
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

_“In all the seas, in all the world, there has never been a land quite like the isle of Eroda.”_

It catches Louis's eye when he looks up from stirring his tea.

Sticking out from the stack of week-old mail in a way that looks almost intentional, the laminated flyer seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The dark tones with a contrasting vibrant blue and gold font stand out from the usual plain, white envelopes. Louis abandons his drink and pads to the countertop, pulling the flyer from the pile and reading the front.

_‘ERODA_

_No Land Quite Like It’_

“Eroda,” he hums to himself, drawing out the vowels as he flips the page. His brows furrowing when the inside is just another large photo of what he assumes is part of the island. The other side is another photo, this one being a body of water with about a dozen boats sailing towards land, and a few more docked along the pier. 

There is an outline of a fish above the only other thing printed on the page, which appears to be a link to the website

To say Louis was curious was an understatement, but why is he so fascinated by what looks like a fisherman’s resort? The island itself was breathtaking, to say the least, and the mysterious, almost ominous flier with little to no information only drew him in further.

Louis blindly takes his phone out of the pocket of his sweats and types in the link, which brings him to a site that looks exactly like the flyer. Louis reads through all the information the website gives, and although he is officially enamored of Eroda, the issue is the ‘guide’ has no information other than a map of the island, which appears to be frowning right back at him.

He's disappointed, to say the least, as he was already making plans to visit this adorable island, and he can't help but continue searching. Being a freelance blogger, scheduling isn’t an issue, and traveling to a new attraction will only give Louis more to write about, plus he could definitely use a vacation. He opens a new tab and types ‘flights to Eroda,’ which ends up leading him to a list of pages all suggesting flights to Erode, India.

Louis huffs out an exasperated laugh, no matter what he types, he can’t seem to find anything about traveling to this mysterious land. 

“Do I have to swim there?” He jokes aloud to himself, shutting his phone off and setting it beside the mail. Louis picks up the flyer again, after having flipped through it over 10 times now, desperate for any information on where this isle is and how he can get there.

Finding that squinting at the photo of a cliff covered in purple flowers is getting him nowhere, he sets the paper down again hopelessly and continues flipping through the rest of his mail before returning to his tea. 

Maybe Eroda isn’t a real place and he had fallen for some strange scam, Louis wonders as he sips his drink. But that wouldn’t make sense because Eroda doesn’t appear to be a resort, let alone a place someone would want to invest in. And there isn’t enough information, fake or not, for it to be even slightly generic, so what is it? And why did he get a flyer for it?

Louis is so caught up in his own thoughts he doesn’t notice the sound of waves crashing outside his block of flats, or the water seeping in from under the front door. He is frozen in shock, looking back and forth between the water now touching his bare feet and the window to his right, another wave crashes up against it, breaking him out of his daze, and he runs up to the window to see that he is no longer in the center of Leeds, but the middle of the ocean.

Screaming in shock, Louis all but sprints to the front door, mindlessly flinging it open and finding himself stood on the deck of a sailboat. He isn't in control as he steps out of his apartment, snapping out of it too late as he turns to run back inside, screaming again when he finds his front door is no longer there.

“I’ve got to be dreaming, right?” Louis tries to reason with himself, walking in continuous circles around the sailboat that was once his flat.

“This isn’t real,” he tries to convince himself, sitting down and putting his head between his knees and closing his eyes. A wave crashes against the boat at the same time a crack of lightning shoots across the sky.

The boom of thunder that follows has Louis fainting, rolling onto his side. 

~

The sound of people talking is what finally wakes Louis.

Louis slowly opens his eyes, and he’s met with four men all wearing one gold earring and matching frowns. Everything starts coming back to him and he scrambles to stand, glaring at the group of dirty, pirate-looking men. 

“Where am I?!” Louis demands, glancing at his surroundings and trying to gather how in the world he ended up on a sailboat, which apparently crashed onto a rocky beach. 

“Welcome to The Isle of Eroda,” one of the men grumbles, and they all chuckle humorlessly when Louis’ angry expression turns to shock.

“Ah, so you’ve heard of this peculiar land?” Another man questions. They all have a knowing look in their eye like _they_ somehow understand what the hell is going on, and Louis wants in on this strange secret the four men appear to be keeping from him.

Louis nods shakily, stumbling as he gets off the boat before confidently striding up to the fishermen, all of them continuing to watch him curiously. 

“Right, so I am completely at a loss right now. I’ve just witnessed my home turning into a boat, and now you're telling me I've magically landed on an island I'd only known about for five minutes, but I feel like I have no choice but to believe you,” Louis says, bewildered at the words coming out of his mouth, “so, care to fill me in on what exactly is going on here?” 

Louis is trying his best to not be rude, but when all he gets is a laugh in response, he scoffs and shoves past the men.

"Thanks for all the fucking help, gentlemen," Louis calls over his shoulder as he continues trudging up the bumpy hill towards the top of the cliff. The further up he goes, the more he sees of the island. Even though Louis is in a bad mood, it's hard to ignore how breathtaking Eroda really is.

He’s so caught up in the view he doesn’t notice he’s made it to the top of the cliff, where a strikingly attractive man wearing a _beret and high-waisted pants_ are sitting on a bench a few meters away. The man is sat next to a clear backpack containing the biggest fish Louis has ever seen and is staring at him like the fishermen.

Louis wonders if everyone on the island has a staring problem. Even the fish is staring. And he'd be mad, but the man's gaze appears to be more friendly than nosy, and Louis finally gets a sense of relief. Maybe he can get some answers.

They all watch one another in silence for a few seconds before Louis remembers his voice. 

“I like your fish.” Louis awkwardly tries to start a conversation.

The guy opens his mouth like he’s going to say something but closes it, looking down at the fish and then back up at Louis. 

“Thank you,” he ends up saying, slowly like he’s confused as to why Louis is talking to him. The man’s voice is deep, but he sounds so timid as opposed to Louis’ higher, louder voice. 

"No problem," Louis smiles at him, and the man continues to stare, eyes widening as Louis begins to walk over. 

“Listen, I genuinely have no idea where I am, and you seem nice enough,” Louis stands next to the bench, “so, could you maybe help me out?” 

The man looks confused for a moment, looking Louis up and down, before giving a tight-lipped smile, showing off his dimples. 

“Okay,” He says softly but does nothing else, just looking up at Louis, who takes initiative. "May I sit?" Louis asks, and the man scoots over, gently moving the fish as well.

“I’m Louis, by the way,” he smiles as he sits next to the man.

“I’m Harry, nice to meet you.” 

Harry. It suits him, Louis thinks, and tells him this much.

"Thank you," Harry almost grins, but bites his lips and instead gives Louis another shy, closed-lipped smile.

Louis sighs. "So, _Harry_ , I'm going to tell you something a bit crazy, but I swear I'm not lying, so please believe me." He rushes out with a wince. 

"Okay," Harry repeats, worry painting his pace.

"So, This morning- well, last week- I got a flyer for Eroda, and I thought it was great, but I couldn't find out how to get here." Harry nods along with a small smile, "Here's the crazy part. So I hear waves hitting the side of the building, and when I open the door, the hallway is gone and I'm on a sailboat!" Louis exclaims, still in hysterics. 

Harry ponders everything silently, and Louis antsy, but chooses to be patient with the man and calms his breathing for a moment before Harry drifts back from his head. 

With a tilt of his head, Harry looks up at Louis with a weird expression on his face. "It's been a while since someone washed up here."

Louis is taken aback. "Do people wash up here often?" Does this mean they also got the flyer? "How did they get home?" 

Harry frowns, looking away. "Nobody's landed here since before I was born." "And how old are you?" Louis counters.

"Almost 27..."

"Okay, so how did they get home?"

Harry purses his lips. "I don't think any of them wanted to leave," he murmurs, and Louis shakes his head in disbelief.

"Well, I'd like to leave at some point, but I suppose I would like to stay awhile." 

Harry beams at that. "I suppose you would've liked to pack first," he says wryly, and Louis laughs delightedly. "A jacket and my wallet would've been nice as well."

"There's a nice bed and breakfast in town I could show you?" Harry offers, and Louis practically moans at the thought of a hot meal and a warm bed. "Yes, please!" 

Harry snorts and immediately stands up and begins to gather his things. 

“Oh, you don’t have to- I didn’t mean right this second,” Louis rushes out, feeling guilty for further ruining Harry’s picnic with his… fish. 

“It’s alright,” he chuckles, beaming at Louis again before turning back and bending down to continue packing up his things, and Louis notices that the guy is a lot taller than him, probably around 10cm more with better posture.

Harry straightens up, all his belongings in his arms and backpack on, and stares expectedly at Louis, eyes nothing but kind. 

“Right, good to go then?” Louis chirps, blushing from being caught staring, but Harry doesn’t seem to notice as he simply turns and starts walking down the hill towards the small town. Louis is quick to catch up and they walk side-by-side in silence. 

Louis glances at the fish, which continues to watch him and smiles. "Does the fish have a name?"

Harry nods. "Willam." Louis hums in approval. "Strong name, that's my middle name." 

"That's amazing" Harry chuckles.

"I think you should've gone with 'Sushi', though," Louis jokes, and Harry outright laughs, flashing his teeth, and Louis is bewildered, this time by the blinding light that just emitted from Harry’s mouth. "

What the hell?!" Louis shouts as he shields his eyes from the brightness with his arms. Harry quickly shuts his mouth looking mortified, and runs away, leaving Louis stunned at the entryway of the village. 

Snapping out of it, Louis tries to clear the spots from his vision as he takes off after him.

“Harry, wait!” he shouts, watching as people jump out of the way of Harry and stand frozen as they watch at the two of them running through the town. 

Louis turns the corner and is surprised when there’s no sign of Harry, it’s like he seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving Louis alone and confused with half the island staring at him. 

Louis slows down to a stop, chest heaving as he whips his head around trying to spot the mysterious man. He notices all the people staring have gone back to their usual routine like they’ve seen stranger things than a grown man chasing another grown man through their town.

He gives up looking and spots Sally’s Tavern, the same one he saw from the flier that seemed to be a teleportation device, and trudges towards it. 

Louis had better be getting some answers soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Louis swings open the door to Sally’s Tavern, annoyed at all the strange and unapproachable people on this weird island, and inwardly scoffs when the few people in the restaurant all look up at him with the same shocked expression like they’ve never seen another human being before. He realizes he may be in a bad mood ever since Harry ditched him with no explanation, leaving Louis to believe he may be seeing things.

He smiles at the old man wiping down the bar as he approaches the counter, taking a seat warily on one of the vacant barstools. He perks up when the man tosses the rag and walks over to where Louis' sitting.

“Welcome to Sally's Tavern, I’m Al, what can I get you?” The man gives him a very forced smile.

Louis barely hides his reaction by clearing his throat, “Uh, hi, I’m actually a bit… lost,” the bartender’s eyebrow quirks up slightly, Louis catches the subtlety, “could I have some water?” 

“Of course, and would you like a menu?” Al suggests as he pulls a glass from a half and fills it with water from the tap, sliding it to the Louis.

Louis sighs, “that’s okay, I don’t have my wallet.” 

Al nods, silent for a moment, then he taps the counter with one hand. “I’ll make you something anyway, I know how it feels to be lost,” he says quietly, and Louis tilts his head with confusion written all over his face, but the old man just winks at him before disappearing through some doors into the back room.

Sighing aloud, Louis can't stop thinking about what Al said, and if appeared on this small island under peculiar circumstances too. 

Louis looks around at the few people spread throughout the tavern. Why does everyone look so skittish and uncomfortable, always frowning? Everyone except _Harry,_ though the only time Louis ever saw him smile was when he was blinded. Does that happen when everybody smiles here?

He's pulled from his thoughts when Al comes back and places a basket of chicken and chips in front of him, flashing him another wink before tending the bar again. “Cheers, mate,” Louis grins as he immediately picks up the fork, relieved to finally be able to eat something after the incomprehensible past couple of hours he’s dealt with. As he eats he tries to recount everything that had happened, to see if there was anything that he’d missed.

There was the flier, then the rushing waves. 

There’s no reasonable explanation for his block of flats turning into a sailboat and then disappearing before his very eyes, he doesn’t even want to try to unpack that one.

Landing ashore after a storm makes the most sense, he supposes. 

Then there were the unnerving fishermen who weren't any help except for informing him where he is, which, if Eroda _is_ a timeshare scam, they sure got him!

And then there was Harry. 

With the giant fish and literal- _glowing_ smile.

Louis swallows his mouthful of chicken, wiping his mouth before calling Al, who strolls over and leans his palms on the counter. "What can I do for ya?"

“Do you happen to know a ‘Harry'?” Louis queries.

“I know two Harrys- one’s an old bald man, and the other has a smile as bright as the sun,” Al chuckles amusingly, and Louis’ jaw drops at the mention of Harry, for obvious reasons, can’t seem to stop thinking about, “I’m guessing you’re not curious about Harry, The Curmudgeon?” The older man continues to laugh to himself.

Louis leans in, “so, you’ve seen it?” he whispers, looking around like it’s a secret, and Al copies him.

“Everyone has,” he whispers back and begins laughing again. Louis pouts, leaning on his arms as he continues to eat his food. Trying to keep a conversation with these people is like trying to solve a riddle.

“What is it, then?” Louis asks dejectedly, and Al shrugs. “Nobody knows, he’s the strangest thing to ever happen in Eroda.”

Louis frowns at that, “You mean, nobody cared to ask?”

“People here aren’t very different, tradition is all we know, it keeps things... Uniform and safe,” Al explains with a sigh, “ _Harry_ is unique, and therefore subject to neglect.”

Louis scoffs, “So, Harry isn’t uniform and safe? He’s harmless! I can't believe people could just _neglect_ something so extraordinary.”

Al sighs, “It’s not like that, nobody ever means to be rude to the boy, he’s just…” He trails off with a solemn expression.

“...Strange,” Louis finishes for him, and Al smiles sadly as they share a mutual understanding before he turns back to work. Louis shakes his head, suddenly feeling determined to find Harry and talk to him... Or at least hug the poor soul. Plus, with his magic smile, maybe he will be able to help Louis figure out what's going on.

After finishing his food, Louis exits the Tavern in search of a place to sleep.

He’d considered just checking out a room at the hotels or b&b, but he still doesn’t have his wallet, and it’s highly unlikely the next person will as generous as Al, so Louis decides to take his chances elsewhere and starts walking around the village.

Louis is strolling along the streets with his hands in his jacket pockets, and he keeps looking every which way, always seeming to be searching for the mysterious man he met on the cliff. He wonders if he hadn’t reacted the way he did when Harry smiled at him, would Harry have still run off? Louis tries to blame himself for Harry fleeing, but there’s nothing that could have possibly prepared Louis for Harry.

…or Eroda, for that matter. 

After walking for what feels like an hour, Louis ends up finding a quaint area amongst the trees. A little gazebo over a picnic table, and without a second thought, he trudges over to lay down right away, just desperately needing to rest. 

-

Louis is woken up hours later to someone lightly shaking at his arm, and his eyes snap open as he jerks away from the intrusive touch, and he looks up with a glare to see none other than Harry.

He looks like a deer caught in the headlights from Louis’ aggressive movement as he leans back quickly, eyes wide but filled with worry.

Louis’ mouth falls agape when he looks up at Harry’s gentle green eyes, his face surrounded by a halo of light from the moon.

Christ, he's gorgeous, Louis thinks to himself.

“Alright, mate?” he breathes and winces, cursing his brain for his engrained British-etiquette, but Harry just smiles warmly before his expression quickly drops back to being concerned. “Are _you_ alright? Why are you sleeping outside in the cold?” He almost scolds with a worried furrow in his brow and Louis coughs in embarrassment.

“I, uh, don’t have a place to stay,” he admits with a small shrug, blushing lightly, and Harry frowns at Louis’ confession, going quiet. The taller man looks to be having a mini mental-battle as he glances back and forth over his shoulder at his fish, then back at Louis, before he eventually smiles shyly and hesitantly holds out his hand, “Would you like to stay at mine?” 

Louis sighs, smiling gratefully, and takes Harry’s hand, blushing again at the gesture. He will not miss out on his only opportunity to reconnect with Harry, and possibly go home.

Louis only half expected Harry to hold his hand the whole walk to his place, but the taller man could have at least slowed his pace so Louis didn’t have to nearly jog just to still be behind, especially since the whole walk to Harry's place appears to be only uphill.

He slows to a stop and huffs a laugh, “Mate you’ve got to slow down.” 

Harry stops suddenly and turns around to finally face Louis, who’s trying not to show how winded he is, as Harry seems to be doing fine in his heavy trench coat and boots, not to mention the backpack filled with water and a large fish.

“I can only walk so fast for so long,” Louis jokes as he straightens back up and walks the distance to Harry, who meets him halfway, wincing when he notices how much further he’d gone ahead. “Sorry,” he murmurs gently, waiting patiently for Louis to catch his breath.

Louis smiles to himself at Harry’s genuine sincerity, and pats the darling man’s back, “It’s alright, but may I ask why the rush?”

They begin walking again, this time Harry slowing his pace to be next to Louis, rather than in front of him.

“Is it the William?” Louis lowers his voice, and Harry almost smiles when Louis mentions the fish again but schools his face.

“No, it’s okay, he’s used to the cold. You’re not. And you’re also not wearing a jacket.” Harry drawls side-eyeing Louis instead of turning his head to look at him.

Louis snickers pettily. “I didn’t exactly expect to be outside… or magically appear on a random island.” He jokes dryly, and Harry furrows his brow but says nothing. Louis starts to wonder why Harry's so weird when he mentions his arrival to the Eroda or the isle in general.

Louis speaks up again. “Anyway, if you and _William_ are so used to the cold, why haven't you offered me your jacket?” Louis says sassily, and Harry snorts, covering his mouth with his hand. 

“We’re almost there,” He mumbles out when he removes his hand, teasingly speeding up his pace again. He’s going along with Louis’s banter, and Louis has no idea why he’s enjoying this so much. All he knows is that he is absolutely endeared by Harry and that they need to get into a warm place before he gets hypothermia from the cold, wet rain.

Luckily Harry wasn’t bluffing, as they only have to take a few turns through the town before stopping in front of a small building. Harry pulls out a single key from his coat pocket and unlocks the door, stepping inside and turning to hold the door for Louis, who heads in after.

Louis is surprised at how much warmer Harry’s place is, with how run-down the outside looks. The inside can only be described as ‘cozy and Harry,’ with the shelves of knick-knacks and candles, a small loveseat, and a desk in the corner next to a dinner table with two chairs. There are only two other rooms, one the bathroom, and the other Harry’s bedroom, which consists of his double bed and desk to its right, and a dresser on the opposite side of the small room.

Harry kicks off his shoes and walks to his room to gingerly set his backpack on the desk, making sure it’s steady. He turns around and jumps when he sees Louis has entered his bedroom and is analyzing the pajamas Harry had laid out on his bed.

Harry hurriedly grabs the clothes and moves them to the top of his dresser. “Those are just… I was looking at them..” he trails off.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Louis guiltily comforts, not wanting to scare the other man off again, “My younger sisters do the same thing,” he supplies, and Harry's jaw drops. Louis freezes when he realizes what he’s said.

Louis gasps. “I didn’t mean-” 

Harry's laugh interrupts Louis, but he doesn't cover his mouth in time, and Louis is once again blinded by the light emitting from Harry’s mouth. Harry’s eyes widen like before, and Louis jumps to action before Harry can make a break for it.

“It’s okay! It’s okay,” he assures, rushing over Harry, who walks back with each step, looking like he's going to start crying. Harry stops walking back and drops his face in his hands, shielding himself from Louis.

Harry speaks from behind his hands. "Just go and run away like everybody else," his voice is muffled.

“I don't want to run away,” Louis whispers, tentatively wrapping his hands around Harry’s wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. Harry looks down at their hands, and Louis takes the hint and quickly releases his wrists, about to apologize when Harry swiftly reaches out for one of Louis's hands back, finally meeting his eyes again.

Harry stares back at Louis in awe. “You don't think it's strange?” He whimpers.

He looks so vulnerable, Louis can't help but tentatively move his other hand to touch Harry's cheek, trying to offer some reassurance, giving Louis a watery smile in acknowledgment.

Louis slightly shrugs. “Well, it's a little strange, but that doesn't mean you deserve to be treated so poorly." He brushes a strand of hair from Harry's eyes, "If anything, you're the least strange person on this island. I think it's incredible, and you don’t have to be afraid of me.” Harry closes his eyes and sighs as he unconsciously leans into Louis’ touch, and Louis brings him in for a hug, frowning at Harry's sniffles as he rests his cheek on his shoulder.

Louis feels his curiosity grow as his heart breaks a little more for this mysterious man, and he has no idea why he's getting involved in Harry's life so soon after meeting. He definitely never expected Harry to be crying in his arms in the middle of his own room, but Harry probably didn't see this coming either.

They stand in an embrace for a while before Harry pulls away sheepishly. "Thank you, Louis," He whispers, pausing, "I've never met anyone like you." 


End file.
